Women look to sweep SFU Saturday

BRYANT AIMS TO SWEEP SEASON SERIES FROM NEC CHAMPION RED FLASH

Full Game Notes
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Looking to put an end to a season-high three-game losing streak, the Bryant University women's basketball team heads to western Pennsylvania for its longest (distance-wise) road trip of the season this weekend. The Bulldogs will face off against preseason NEC favorite Saint Francis (PA) before finishing up the weekend at Robert Morris on Monday. The Bulldogs are looking for season sweeps against both opponents. Today's game is being broadcast on ESPN3.com.

SERIES HISTORY 

Bryant and Saint Francis (PA) have met four times since the Bulldogs began Division I play in 2008-09.  After Bryant's 57-52 win back on Jan. 7, 2012, the series is now even at 2-2. The Red Flash won the first outing in January of 2009 before the Bulldogs took the second meeting in 2010. SFU won the only meeting during the 2010-11 campaign before Bryant knotted the series up with an impressive win earlier this year. Interestingly enough, two games (including this year's showdown) were decided by five points apiece, while the other saw double-digit margins of win for both teams.

LAST TIME OUT

Sophomore forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa had a career day with 23 points and 18 rebounds, but the Bryant University women's basketball team could not dig out of a 15-point halftime deficit, falling to Sacred Heart, 74-67, Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Trailing by as many as 22 in the second half, the Bulldogs pushed the Pioneers to the brink with a late 20-13 run. Down by eight with 30 seconds left, junior Danielle Douglas canned two free throws and senior Brittany Stahura forced a Pioneer turnover to give the Bulldogs the ball back. On the ensuing inbound, the Black and Gold found junior Katie Whittington open but her long three hit the rim and the Pioneers grabbed the rebound.

Ankoma-Mensa's seventh double-double of the season was the most spectacular of her career. She finished with 23 points on 11-of-19 shooting and hauled down 18 caroms, helping the Bulldogs to a dominant 42-18 scoring advantage in the paint. Douglas and sophomore Steph Cardamone both finished in double figures, with Douglas collecting 15 points thanks to 9-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe, and Cardamone adding 10 on 4-of-7 shooting.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH

After winning four in a row, Saint Francis faced off against Robert Morris during NEC Rivalary Week, but the Colonials put an end to the Red Flash's unblemished run by sweeping the home-and-home series with a pair of 12-point victories.

Despite holding an overall record that is three games under .500, the two-time defending NEC champion and preseason favorite Red Flash still are in position to return to the playoffs by virtue of their 8-6 record in the conference. Sitting in a three-way tie with Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn, Saint Francis can still climb up the standings with four games to go. They are a virtual lock to return to the playoffs with a three-game lead over ninth-place CCSU.

Alli Williams posted a team-high 11 points in the team's loss against RMU on Wednesday. The 6-foot sophomore forward has recorded double-digit scoring in six straight games, and she has averaged an impressive 17.5 ppg during that span. On the season, she leads the Red Flash in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg) while also totaling a team-high 63 steals and 16 rejections. Williams leads all players in shooting as well, posting a sharp 45.5 percent clip (143-314) from the field.

The only other SFU player to average in double figures is sophomore guard Nickia Gibbs (10.9 ppg). Senior Sarah Thorn facilitates the offense with a side-high 96 helpers, while rookie Alexa Hayward chips in 9.5 ppg and leads the team from long range with a 35.5 percent mark (50-141) from downtown on the season.

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST SFU 

Tied at 49 points apiece with less than three minutes to play, the Bryant University women's basketball team caught fire and ran away from the preseason Northeast Conference favorite Saint Francis University, earning a 57-52 victory on Jan. 3 at the Chace Athletic Center.

Down by six points after the intermission, the Bulldogs outscored the two-time defending conference champion Red Flash by a 35-24 margin, handing SFU its first conference loss of the season while moving an unprecedented four games above .500 for the first time in the program's Division I history.

Bulldog sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa was marvelous for the Black and Gold, registering a team-high nine points in the second half while finishing the afternoon with 17 points – three off her career high - and a personal-best six steals, while junior Danielle Douglas contributed 12 points to lead the home team.

Despite shooting 1-of-15 from downtown (6.7 percent), Bryant finished the day with a respectable 37.0 field-goal percentage on a 20-of-54 shooting clip, while SFU went 18-of-57 from the field for a 31.6 percent mark. 

SINCE THAT WEEKEND SWEEP...

When the Bulldogs managed to sweep both two-time defending champion SFU and another formidable foe in Robert Morris, Bryant moved into a tie for second place in the Northeast Conference while moving an unprecedented five games above .500 for the first time since moving to the Division I ranks.

But since that weekend, the goings have been rough for the Bulldogs. In the exactly 10 games since downing Robert Morris on Jan. 9, Bryant has gone 3-7 to fall down into ninth place in the conference. The team has been outscored by 77 points (643-566), shot just 33.8 percent (204-603) from the field and a lowly 60.7 percent (122-201) from the charity stripe.

SMILE! YOU'RE ON CAMERA!

Today's contest is being broadcast live on ESPN3.com and is available to a national audience at no charge. This marks the first time in 2011-12 that the Bulldogs have made an appearance in front of a live, national audience.

OFF THE MARK

The Bulldogs recorded a new single-game low in shooting against LIU Brooklyn on Feb. 6 after going just 13-for-60 from the field (.217) and 2-for-9 (.222) from long range. Bryant dropped that game by a 50-41 margin, and those 41 points marked a season low in scoring.

NAANA GOES OFF

If not for the incredible efforts of sophomore forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa, the Bulldogs might not have even come as close as they did in Wednesday's seven-point loss against Sacred Heart. The Brampton, Ont., native set new career highs with 23 points, 11 made field goals and 18 rebounds in the loss.

NOT FEELIN' THE 40s

Bryant has been held to 40-49 points on four occasions this season, and the end result has not been positive in any of them. The Bulldogs are 0-4 on the year when scoring between 40-49 points. 

TAKE AWAY THE 20s, TOO!

The Bulldogs are 1-4 on the season when posting a shooting percentage less than 30 percent. The only victory in which the team logged a shooting percentage in the 20s was 55-49 win over Monmouth on Jan. 28.

NOT ALWAYS AUTOMATIC

Before last Saturday's game against the Pioneers, the Bulldogs were an impressive 7-1 on the season when logging a shooting percentage in the 40s, and a perfect 4-0 when four players scored in double figures. But despite four players recording 10 points or more, and despite shooting 41.5 percent as a team (22-of-53) against Sacred Heart, the Bulldogs were stymied in a 79-64 defeat.

SLUMPING SHOOTERS

While the Bulldogs were never a high-percentage shooting team at any point this season, the past few games have taken their toll on the team's shooting percentage. In the last five games, the Bulldogs have shot 96-for-285 (.337) from the field and 19-of-63 (.302) from long range. Where the team truly has struggled, however, is the free throw line, where they have made just 58.4 percent (59-101) of their chances in that span.

WHITTINGTON AMONG THE ELITE

Junior Katie Whittington has been dominant from the stripe this season. The NEC's leading free throw shooter has shot 76-for-85 (.894) from the line. Those numbers rank among the best in the country, as Whittington currently sits in sixth place in the NCAA in free throw shooting.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?

Bryant University Athletics offers more ways than ever before to watch, listen or follow your Bulldogs during all the action even when you can't make it to the court!  Head to www.bryantbulldogs.tv for information about single-game and full- season broadcasting packages, where you can watch webcasts of the Bulldogs for most home games.  Live stats can be found at www.bryantbulldogs.com for every contest, and you can follow @BryantGameday on Twitter for score updates.